No Place I'd Rather Be
by newnewnewdirections
Summary: A story about the season 6 newbies and their adventures! Season 6 retold from Jane/Mason perspective but with a lot of my own scenes in between of what should have happened. Centered around McHayward.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I'm writing this story because I loved the season 6 newbies! I thought they were 100x less bratty and annoying than the original characters were at the beginning. I especially fell in love with the potential relationship between Jane and Mason and I am very disappointed that their characters were never followed through. So this story is what I think should've happened/been shown in the show. This story starts at the episode Homecoming when we meet our new characters for the first time. A lot of it will just be my take and me adding to scenes making it concentrate more on McHayward but I probably will expand it eventually past what happens in the show. Also I am a junior in high school so I will post as often as possible but it may take awhile for me to update because of school and my part time job. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any glee characters or story lines at all or songs I may use.**

Mason and Madison had just finished cheer practice with their intense coach Sue Sylvester screaming at them and pushing them harder than they had ever been pushed before. The twins were exhausted. They loved being part of the Cheerios since they had loved cheering since they were three, but Coach Sylvester's torturous training and the other Cheerios' ruthless jokes about them being the "incest twins" were almost deal breakers. Mason and Madison had just transferred this year to McKinley High and they only wished they had made more real friends. At least they had each other. They had seen the sign up sheet for the New Directions a few days ago and they knew they would love it but they also were afraid of ruining their reputations at the school. They were already at high risk for being bullied since they were new and Madison said they couldn't risk being part of the glee club.

As the twins walked past the auditorium to the parking lot, they heard a voice. A strong, amazing, female voice coming from the stage. Mason and Madison looked at each other, nodded, and then silently slipped into the auditorium to see who the owner of that lovely voice was. When they walked in, Mason looked up at the stage and saw a gorgeous girl in a Dalton Academy uniform belting out the words to Janelle Monae's Tightrope confidently. _Isn't Dalton an all boys school?_ The twins looked at each other in awe as the girl perfectly hit the last note of the song. _Wow_.

"Jane! That was amazing! You're definitely ready to show those Warbler boys what you're made of!"

Mason and Madison jumped at the sudden applause and praise from the front row. They looked up as a woman, maybe in her early 20s, climbed on stage and hugged the girl. _Where have I seen her before?_

"Do you really think they'll let me in Ms. Berry?" the girl with the amazing legs asked nervously.

"I think they'd be stupid not to," stated the other woman confidently, "and if they don't, you will always have a place here in the New Directions." The beautiful girl beamed shyly at her. _Wow she was amazing._ At that moment Madison pulled Mason out of his trance, dragging him out of the auditorium.

"C'mon Mason! We need to get home. I'm exhausted." Madison whispered dramatically. Mason sighed and started creeping toward the exit, trying to leave as silently as possible. But when he opened the door it creaked obnoxiously. Mason's eyes widened and he started running, accidentally letting the door to the auditorium slam loudly. _Great, now they know someone was watching._

"That was a close one. Let's go," Madison panted as they got into their shared car. On the way home, Madison was going on and on about some random high school drama that Mason didn't care about. All he could think about was the gorgeous, talented girl they had seen practicing in the auditorium.

 **Thanks for reading! Next chapter hopefully coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm Back! Sorry the last chapter was so short. I'll try to make this one a little longer. Thanks so much to the 2 people who have followed my story so far. I'm not really a writer but I'm trying and I'm sure I'll get better as the story progresses. This chapter will have Jane and Mason's first official meeting! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I still don't own the McCarthy twins or Jane or McKinley High or anything related to Glee except this story.**

Jane walked out of Dalton Academy still processing what Blaine had just told her. Mr. Anderson said that the Warblers voted against her. To say she was disappointed was an understatement. _What am I going to tell my dad?_ They didn't want her in the Warblers! She didn't understand. _Am I not good enough?_ Jane had felt so confident walking into that room and belting out her favorite song. And Ms. Berry said she would nail it, she said she was good enough.

Jane had a lot to think about. Mr. Anderson told her he would threaten to quit his job as Warbler coach until they let her in. It was very sweet but she wan't sure she wanted to be in a club where no one wanted her there, where she would always be humming and swaying in the background. Jane suddenly recalled what Ms. Berry said before her audition, _"There's always a place for you in the New Directions._ "

Jane squared her shoulders, picked her head up and started confidently walking to her car. She had to go to McKinley High. But first she needed to convince her parents to let her transfer. She knew her dad would be disappointed since Dalton was family tradition, but she thinks she can make him understand.

Two hours later, Jane was standing in Ms. Berry's office. She was looking at Jane blankly. It was obvious that Ms. Berry felt conflicted. On one hand who is she to deny such a talented young singer from joining her glee club. They desperately needed more members and she would be a perfect fit. But on the other hand, she had made an agreement with Blaine and Mr. Shue: no poaching. _But is it really poaching if she comes to me?_ After all, Jane did makie a compelling argument. In the Warblers she would never get a solo and wouldn't even get a fighting chance. But here at McKinley, she could be part of something special instead of always feeling like she was on the outside. After a long pause, Rachel nodded at Jane. She squealed in excitement and hugged Rachel, jumping up and down.

"Thank you so much Ms. Berry! I won't let you down!"

Jane ran down the hall excitedly to the main bulletin board in the hall. Seeing the sign up sheet for the New Directions, she furiously scribbled her name down. It was only a formality of course. She had practically already auditioned for Ms. Berry and she was definitely in. But she wanted to enjoy the feeling of actually signing her name on the sheet, knowing it was the start of something special.

Mason and Madison were at cheer practice warming up when three women in "Cheerio Alum" uniforms and a guy in a wheelchair strode confidently into the field. They wasted no time before breaking into song, singing 'Problem' by Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea. All of the Cheerios, including the twins, jumped in without hesitation. Mason and Madison noticed Kitty, their head cheerleader looking a little annoyed by the whole thing, joining in with a slight scowl. The twins looked at each other, shrugged and continued their routine. The singers were very talented and they looked like they were having the time of their lives. _This really is fun._ As the three women finished up their performance, Mason and Madison looked at each other smiling.

"You guys have got some great moves! We could really use some of that in the glee club," said the guy in the wheelchair.

"Yeah you could," Kitty came out of the crowd staring down the wheelchair guy. Ok so these two know each other. "Oh, hi Artie." She said sarcastically.

"Kitty! Where have you been? I thought Sue made all the New Directions transfer out of McKinley. We need you back," said Artie. _Wait, Kitty was in the glee club?_ The twins looked at each other in surprise.

Kitty scoffed and turned away, "you really think I would come back after the way you treated me when you went off to college?" _Ok so Kitty and this Artie kid dated?_ Mason wasn't really sure of what was going on. He looked over at Madison as the old high school friends continued their conversation. Madison was biting her lip, deep in thought. She looked up at Mason and nodded. Mason beamed at her. Maybe the New Directions were worth the risk after all.

"Can two people try out together?" the twins asked in unison.

"Of course you can," one of the alumni said. Kitty rolled her eyes and started stomping back to the locker room, the other Cheerios trailing along behind her. Mason and Madison smiled at the guest performers and thanked them quickly before running after the rest of their squad.

As soon as they were free from cheer practice, the twins ran down the hall to the sign up sheet for the New Directions, smiling all the way. When they got there, they saw another girl already there scrawling her name on the sheet. Wait she looked so familiar. Mason immediately recognized her wild mane of curly locks and amazing legs. _It's the girl from the auditorium!_ She was joining the glee club? Mason's heart started beating faster for some unknown reason as she smiled and started walking away confidently toward the choir room. Now Mason was even more excited to join the glee club. Madison didn't seem to notice her and pulled Mason over, neatly signing their names on the next line. Out of curiosity, Mason looked at the name on the line above theirs, neatly written with a smiley face next to it.

Jane Hayward

Mason could not wait to meet Jane Hayward.

 **Thanks for reading! Chapter 3 coming soon! I have a week off of school next week so there will hopefully be lots of updates! I hope you liked it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Thanks so much to everyone who is reading this story! I really hope you guys like it! I know I said the last chapter would be Jane and Mason's meeting but they still haven't really interacted so THIS it the chapter where they officially meet. I finally have a week off from school and I'mm be going to the beach so I hopefully will have plenty of time to write. I don't know if I'll be keeping up with this updating every night pattern especially when I go back to school but I will try to keep up. Enjoy!**

Immediately after Madison signed their names on the New Directions sign up sheet, they were grabbed and dragged to the choir room by the same Cheerio alumni who had performed earlier. They smiled as they introduced themselves as Santana, Brittany and Quinn. When they got to the choir room, it looked like they had just started.

"Really? Only two members?" an asian woman was saying to their right.

"Actually four," said Santana, leading them in confidently, "My sexual magnetism has worked once again. Introducing Mason and Madison McCarthy." The twins looked at each other and started waking fearlessly toward the others. Mason saw Jane and smiled. She smiled back hesitantly having no idea who he was.

"Hey gang! We're super pumped there's a glee club again! Now I know what you're thinking - they can obviously log roll and kick toss, but can they sing? Well, not to toot our own horns..." Mason trailed off.

"Toot! But we've won karaoke night at cheer camp every year since we were three. It's in our blood," Madison stated confidently. _Wow they actually finish each others' sentences_ , Jane thought, both impressed and a little taken aback by their attitude.

Ms. Berry shrugged, "Well you'll have to audition, but of course you're welcome!" The twins fist bumped and sat down, beaming, officially becoming a part of the glee club.

"I'm actually really happy! This is the start of something so special! Come on - group hug!" Ms. Berry said happily. Mason felt great. He knew that this was going to be an amazing experience that would change his life for the better.

In the high spirits of the moment, Mr. Evans started whistling the intro to Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic zeros. Everyone immediately cheered and joined in. They all sang together walking through the halls of McKinley High. Everyone looked so genuinely happy as they created music together without even practicing. Mason was amazed at how good they could sound when they just improvised and harmonized with each other. They stopped in the auditorium and the twins had a little solo to count for their "official audition". The four new glee club members walked together singing and laughing. Mason could tell that their friendships were going to last for a very long time. Not to mention he loved hearing Jane laugh. She had the most radiant smile he had ever seen. She was just all around gorgeous. Her wild, carefree hair matched her easy going, but kind personality. He was looking forward to getting to know her better.

Jane had just met Mason but she already felt like they had connected in some way. She felt drawn to his infectious laughter and his adorable smile from when she first saw him. She could've sworn she'd seen him somewhere before but she just couldn't place his face. And his voice! His voice was so smooth and sweet! Jane could also see herself becoming very close with the twins. Madison was as welcoming as her twin and Jane could see them being amazing friends sometime in the future. So far, joining the New Directions had been the best decision of her life. Who needs the Warblers when you have friends like these?

 **Sorry It's so short! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Here's the next chapter. Thanks again to everyone reading. It means a lot to me. I'm a little worried you guys don't like it since only 2 people have followed it (Thank you!) and there have been no reviews. Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

As soon as the bell rang the next Monday, all the new glee kids practically ran to the choir room. Today was the first official glee club rehearsal! There were only four members so far but that wasn't gonna stop them from having an amazing lesson this week!

As the 4 members walked into the choir room excitedly and took their seats among the various New Directions alumni, Ms. Berry and Mr. Hummel came out of the office to announce the first week's lesson.

"Jagged Little Tapestry!" Ms. Berry exclaimed, cutting off Mr. Hummel. "As you can see, we've combined the titles of these 2 iconic albums-"

"Alanis Morris's Jagged Little Pill-" Mr. Hummel cut her off as Ms. Berry explained the album.

"And Carol King's Tapestry!" Wow they really had some issues going on. They kept interrupting each other and bickering.

"Ok, since it looks like you and Porcelain obviously have some issues to iron out, Brittany and I will go first," Santana said, breaking up their fight.

With that, everyone got up to find a partner for their Alanis/Carol mashup. Mason stood up, wiping his hands on his pants nervously and walked over to Jane.

"Hey Jane! You're an Alanis right? I think I'm definitely a Carol so we should totally do this duet together, right?" Mason said all in one breath.

Jane giggled slightly, "Sure!" She was genuinely excited about getting a chance to sing with Mason. His voice was incredible.

"Great! That's great! So how about we practice after school? My house at 7?" Mason asked.

"Umm ok sounds great!" Jane said, but she was actually a little nervous.

"Awesome, here's the address. We're gonna kill this! See you at 7!" Mason said confidently, striding out with his twin by his side. Seven o'clock could not come sooner for either of them.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Mason was waiting for Jane in his living room. It was 6:55 and he had just finished straightening up the house. Since their parents were never around, there was no one to tell them to constantly be cleaning. Well, actually there was Madison. She was constantly nagging Mason about cleaning his room or cleaning the kitchen or putting away dishes or whatever, but even she felt lazy sometimes. While he was cleaning, Mason had been coming up with a few ideas for their mashup. Normally he would bounce ideas off of Madison, but they had to come up with their own, different ideas since she was singing with Roderick and he with Jane.

The doorbell rang suddenly and Mason jumped. He quickly walked over to the door, opening it to find Jane looking around nervously.

"Oh I'm so glad this is the right house! I accidentally bothered your neighbors a few minutes ago. I couldn't read the house numbers," Jane breathed a sigh of relief, looking around at the inside of the house. She looked at Mason, surprised. She had kind of just assumed he'd be in his Cheerio uniform like always, but instead he wore jeans and a black v-neck top. _So this is what he would wear if he wasn't a Cheeri_ o. Jane had sort of been wondering.

"Jane, so glad you could make it! Come in!" Mason had noticed Jane's outfit as well, she had changed into more casual clothes since school had let out. She was wearing high waisted shorts that made her legs look amazing and a maroon top. Her hair was in a simple braid over her shoulder. Mason didn't even know her hair could go into a braid! They walked in and sat on the couch.

"Do you want anything? Water? Soda?" Mason asked.

"Eh. I might grab something later. I'm fine for now." Jane said honestly. She wasn't the type of girl who would just sit helplessly, afraid to ask for things. She was not raised that way.

"Ok. Then let's get started! I've been listening to the albums since I got home and I really like Alanis's 'Head over feet' and Carol's 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow' and I really think we could make it work. If you want to that is." Mason took a deep breath, he had said all of that very fast and was kind of out of breath.

Jane smiled, "I've been listening to them too and I agree. Those were definitely the best songs on each album. I've never really attempted a mash up before so I don't really know what I'm doing but I think those songs mashup the best. Did that make sense?"

"Yeah. Let's listen to them a few times so we can figure out exactly what to mash up and who will sing what and all that." Mason suggested.

"Great."

They spent hours just talking and laughing and working on their mash up together, until Jane saw the time.

"Oh my gosh! It's 10 already? I have to get home! But I'll see you tomorrow Mason, and maybe we can keep practicing tomorrow in the auditorium. We don't have to perform until Friday so we have plenty of time to work on it!" Jane started gathering all of her stuff and walking toward the door, "Bye Mason," she said awkwardly side hugging him. "Bye Madison!" Jane yelled. _Dang it. How did she know I was spying?_ Maybe Madison wasn't as stealthy as she thought she was. Jane left and Mason closed the door. Madison jumped out of her hiding spot pointing a Mason accusingly.

"You like her!"

"What? That's crazy," Mason said defensively. Madison looked at him disbelievingly, but she dropped it. She wasn't sure she was ready to no be the only lady in Mason's life anymore. But she would cross that bridge when she got to it.

Meanwhile, Mason was thinking about what Madison had said. Could he really like Jane?

 **Thanks for reading! Some feedback from you guys would be awesome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey. I'm at the beach instead of school so I have plenty of time to write! So this is a pretty long chapter. I left out the part where Kurt interrupts Santana's proposal cause I thought that was super annoying. Also thanks so much to Gemstoneopal for your review! It was very constructive and nice! I really appreciated it. Anyway, here is the next installment of No Place I'd Rather Be. Enjoy! Please let me know if you like it or not.**

The next day in glee club, Santana and Brittany did their performance. They mashed up 'I Feel the Earth Move' by Carol and 'Hand in my Pocket' by Alanis. They knocked it out of the park and looked like they were having the time of their lives.

"And that is how a mashup is done everyone!" Ms. Berry exclaimed, beaming proudly.

"No actually this is," Santana interrupted and stood in front of Brittany. "So I figured this is as good a place as any to ask you this question, especially since it will really upset all the single guys and gals in this room. But, I wanna mash up with you forever, Brit. I mean, some people love someone because they make them a better person and that's not why I love you. Because you've always just wanted me to be myself. You're my favorite person in the whole world. And we're a big deal! No matter how many times we've tried to put this thing down and walk away from it, we can't. Because I don't wanna live my life without my one true love. And I normally use a lot of words when I'm saying something negative, so since this is the most positive thing I'll ever do, I'll keep it simple." Santana took a deep breath as one of the girls in the band waled over and handed her a ring box. Brittany gasped and looked around smiling as Santana knelt before her.

"Brittany S. Pierce, will you marry me?" Santana asked nervously. Brittany put her hands over her mouth and looked at Santana happily.

"Wait what's happening?" Roderick asked confused.

"Just go with it." Puck said, shrugging it off. Everyone else in the room was silently cheering for the happy couple.

"Oh my God I would love to!" Brittany said excitedly. The two women hugged as the rest of the room clapped. With that, they were dismissed from rehearsal and Mason and Jane went to the auditorium to rehearse. They got to the auditorium still smiling from the proposal they had just witnessed. They were both secretly hopeless romantics and hoped they were invited to the wedding.

"Ok let's get to it. We worked out which parts we're singing yesterday so I guess all that's left is the actual practicing," Mason said a little reduntantly.

"Yeah I guess so. Don't feel bad about criticizing me! I can take it and I don't want you trying to spare my feelings!" Jane demanded.

"Oh I don't think that'll be a problem at all since you're amazing, but the same goes for me. No special treatment. Deal?" Mason was not the most subtle person in the world but he was very sweet. Jane blushed a little at the compliment but nodded.

They got the random piano player they recruited to start playing the intro and they began. After two run throughs they knew they were ready. They really had done a good job mashing up these songs, especially for their first time. They didn't hold back from pouring all the emotion they could into the duet. It was hard not to be emotional with these lyrics.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Friday came and it was finally time for Jane and Mason to perform their mashup. Jane was a little nervous. She knew deep down she wasn't going to mess up or forget the words or anything, but that didn't stop her from worrying. Mason looked over at her, noticing her biting her lip and shifting from foot to foot. _She was so cute when she was nervous._ The truth was that Mason was just as nervous as she was. If they were just singing for their friends it would be one thing. But the legendary New Directions Alumni had all stuck around to see them perform for their first time. He just hoped that he and Jane were half as good as they were when they were in the glee club _._ Mason squeezed Jane's hand reassuringly as they walked out on stage and sat on their stools. The two of them had grown much closer through this project and were practically best friends. Jane and Madison had become closer too because of all the time Mason and Jane have been spending together, but Madison still wasn't sure she liked sharing the spotlight with Jane. She knew it sounded selfish but she was just so used to taking care of Mason and she wasn't ready to let him go. As the piano started playing, Jane took a deep breath, smiling nervously, and started singing.

(Jane= _Italics_ , Mason= **bold** , both= underlined)

 _Tonight, you're mine completely_

 _You give your love, so sweetly_

 _Tonight, the light, of love is in your eyes_

But will you love me tomorrow?

 **Ooh, I had no choice but to hear you**  
 **You stated your case, time and again**  
 **I thought about it, yeah**

 _You treat me like I'm a princess_ **(You're a princess)**

 _I'm not used to liking that_

You ask how my day was  
(oh) you've already won me over

In spite of me

And don't be alarmed if I fall

Head over feet

And don't be surprised if I love you

For all that you are

Will you still love me tomorrow? (Yeah)

As Jane sang, she stood up and started walking around in a circle around Mason. She seemed to be getting more comfortable and gaining confidence as she sang. She walked to the other side of Mason, touching his shoulder as he turned toward her. He thought that this was the most beautiful she had ever looked, totally in her element. She stood above him and he put his hand on her waist, pulling her closer. They were in their own world, forgetting about everyone else around them and just gazing into each other's eyes as they belted out the words to their romantic mash up. They beamed at each other and she started moving back to her stool, coming back to reality. She caught Mason glancing at her legs as she sat down and blushed. Mason thought she was perfect in that moment.

(Tonight) _with words_

( **With words** ) unspoken

( **Oh** ) _When the night_ ( **when the night** )  
 _Meets the morn-_

 **Meets the morn** -ing sun!  
 _You've already won me over_

In spite of me

And don't be alarmed if I fall

Head over feet

And don't be surprised if I love you

 **For all that you are** ( _All that you are_ )

Will you still love me tomorrow?

 **You've already won me over**

Will you still love me tomorrow?

Yeah yeah

As they sang the last notes, Mason was starting to realize that he meant every word. It's very hard not to fall for your best friend when she's singing these words and looking at you like that. They just smiled at each other as their friends clapped. What Mason didn't know was that Jane felt the exact same way about him. She loved the way he smiled at her and she loved how his eyes sparkled when he sang that song to her. She was definitely falling hard for him. Their voices went together perfectly. They breathed a sigh of relief as they looked around at the infamous glee alumni who were all smiling and clapping. Mason saw Tina and Quinn exchange a knowing glance. They clearly saw the chemistry between Jane and Mason and were smirking smugly. Mason shrugged it off. Everyone seemed to like it except Mr. Hummel. He was looking down with a strange look on his face.

"Great job you guys! I loved the enthusiasm and the emotion! Great kick off performance!" Ms. Berry squealed. Mason and Jane smiled at each other and he patted her on the back. Ms. Berry seemed genuinely proud of them and pleased with their performance. They were enjoying the feeling of applause and praise when Mr. Hummel stood up. He was the only one not smiling.

"I think the singing could have been a whole step higher. And Mason you're a cheerleader, you could've used choreography, give it variety and complexity," Mason and Jane's smiles faded at Mr. Hummel's harsh, but honest criticism. Mason looked at his hands in his lap awkwardly. Jane looked over at him and squeezed his hand.

"Kurt it was their first time," Ms. Berry defended them.

"Have you forgotten what the competition looks like? You're forgetting how hard Mr. Shue had to push us to be champions." Ms. Berry looked at him incredulously and pulled him aside, stomping away. Everyone just sat awkwardly as they had a hushed argument. Santana rolled her eyes at their bickering as if it was very common. Mason and Jane's sense of accomplishment had diminished just a little bit after Mr. Hummel's comments. But Madison was motioning at them to keep their heads up and take it. Maybe Mr. Hummel was right, they weren't trying hard enough. After Ms. Berry sent him home, glee club was dismissed for the day. As they left, all of the other glee alumni came up to Jane and Mason and congratulated them. They said that they were amazing and not to let Kurt get to them. Their praise meant a lot and definitely raised Jane and Mason's spirits a little, but they were still thinking about what Mr. Hummel had said as they walked to their next classes. They had a lot to think about.

 **Sorry that's kind of an awkward ending. Oh well there will be another chapter either late tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for reading! Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi again. This chapter is very short and it's not the best thing I've ever written. Sorry! It's mostly told from Jane's perspective. Enjoy!**

Jane had been thinking about Mr. Hummel's comments all night. As soon as she got to school the next day, Jane walked briskly to Mason's locker, their usual meeting spot. She was relieved to see him there without Madison. Jane loved Madison and they were basically best friends, but she had to talk to Mason.

"Mason."

"Oh hey Jane! How was your weekend?" he said smiling. She looked great today in a blue dress and blazer. When he saw the serious look on her face, he gave her his full attention, "What is it?"

"I wanted to talk to you about what Mr. Hummel said. I watched Youtube videos this weekend of the New Directions and I think he was right, we do need to work harder on our performances."

"I agree. I watched the performances on Youtube too. The New Directions were completely committed and hard working and that's what got them to the championship. He was a little harsh but we need his brutal honesty to be the best," Mason agreed. "But for what it's worth, I think we sounded amazing together." Jane blushed. She was so cute.

"Yes we did, but we need to go talk to Ms. Berry." Mason and Jane went to her office and told her to not go easy on them anymore. As they were walking out, they ran into Kurt.

"Oh! Jane and Mason. You were the exact people I wanted to see," Mr. Hummel said. Jane and Mason looked at each other nervously. "I wanted to apologize about what I said about your performance. I let my personal problems get in the way of my judgement. The truth is that you did great. Actually you sang that song so beautifully that I got very emotional and caught up in my feelings. So I'm very sorry if I gave you the wrong impression or made you feel bad about your performance. It was great," Mr. Hummel rambled on nervously.

Jane and Mason smiled. "It's no problem at all Mr. Hummel. We actually wanted to thank you for your honest criticism. It will only make us stronger," Jane said. Mr. Hummel looked very surprised, but happy and just nodded as Jane and Mason walked out.

"Well that went well," Mason commented.

"Yeah I can't believe we got through that without hurting anyone's feelings!" Jane said surprised. The two of them high fived, smiling, as Mason walked Jane to her first period. Unfortunately, their first classes were on opposite sides of the school, but they see each other for Chemistry, Economics, Lunch, and Glee Club.

"Hey so I didn't see you all weekend. What did you do?" Mason inquired. They usually hung out on the weekends so he was genuinely interested about how her weekend was.

"Oh it was fine. A little boring. All I did was watch disney movies and do homework," Jane shrugged.

"Oh my gosh! You should've called me! I love Disney! We could've had a marathon or something!" Mason squealed. _What? He likes Disney movies?_ Jane thought that was the most adorable thing ever and she chuckled a little at his overwhelming enthusiasm.

"Next time I will. I didn't know you were into that kind of thing," Jane teased him a little bit.

"Are you kidding? Who doesn't love a good story about a princess kicking butt in a war? Or a good story about a simple thief who falls in love with a princess?" Mason was a really hard core Disney fan apparently.

"Ok so how about tomorrow night? We have a Chemistry test on Wednesday and I really need your help studying. Then we can binge watch Disney," Jane suggested. Mason was really great at Chemistry for some reason and Jane really understood Economics so they really balanced each other out. As Mason started to answer, the warning bell for first period rang, meaning you had one minute to get to your class without being counted late.

"Oh Crap! I gotta go! Talk to you later Jane!" Mason exclaimed running off. Jane sighed, smiling, as she waked into her Algebra II class and took her usual seat next to Roderick. He took his head phones off and turned to talk to her. They just small talked and laughed until class started and Mr. Summer started giving another boring lecture on imaginary numbers. His name really did not suit him. Jane was relieved when they were released an hour later for their second period. She had Econ with Mason next and she was relieved to be in a class with her best friend learning material she actually understood. Mason seemed completely lost at the concept of Perfect Competition and she just shook her head smiling. She would explain it to him later.

After a long Monday at school, Glee Club finally arrived. When they got there, they saw that Kurt and Rachel seemed to be on good terms again and everyone seemed happy. As glee club started, Kurt and Rachel announced that the road to sectionals had officially begun. Everyone looked at each other excitedly as their teachers and the glee alumni started performing their own Alanis/Carol mash up. Joining the glee club was the best choice Jane had ever made. It made her so happy to sing with all of her best friends in the world and it brightened every bad day.

 **I'm sorry this chapter is so random and short. It will get back on track in the next chapter since we will be starting with the events of the Hurt Locker pretty soon. Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**OMG guys. We're already on Chapter 7! Thank you all so much for giving this story a chance. And special thanks to my new followers rollando35, BeautyThatIsMcHaywardKlaine, and Gemstoneopal! BeautyThatIsMcHaywardKlaine- I love your stories! I was so happy when I saw that you followed and favorited my story! And thanks so much to Gemstoneopal for reviewing, not once, but twice on this story! Thank you thank you thank you! They made me smile and they were very helpful. Anyway, here's chapter 7! Enjoy!**

Jane and Mason were walking to glee club rehearsal together, talking about their plans for that night. They were thinking about hanging out at Mason's house for their study session/Disney marathon. Jane was very excited and she could tell he was too. He kept naming all the movies he wanted to see and Jane had to keep reminding him that they had to actually study and she had to be hime at a reasonable hour so they would have to cut back their list.

Mason pouted adorably, "Ok then I guess we'll have to do it over a few days then." Jane chuckled. _How could one person be so cute?_

"How about every Tuesday from now on we study and watch the movies. We can only watch one or two a week but we'll get through them eventually," she suggested. He just nodded reluctantly as they walked into the choir room. Mason walked over and took his usual spot next to Madison, while Jane sat in front of him with Roderick. Ms. Berry and Mr. Hummel burst in announcing that they had figured out the songs for invitationals. But the four members were a little less enthusiastic about it.

"Wait, don't we need more people to even participate in invitationals?" Roderick questioned.

"No, you don't need a full glee club for invitationals," Kurt answered optimistically, "It's a trial run for future competitions. No judges or prizes."

"And more stage time for us," Madison whispered.

"Twinning!" The twins said together, high fiving. Jane chuckled slightly and shook her head at their 'twintuition'.

"There is no winner or loser at Invitationals. But just like a Debutant ball or a Quinceñera, it is your chance to introduce yourself to the show choir world. We're gonna be up against some of the greatest show choirs in Ohio, in America! And the Warblers and Vocal Adreneline have a very strong history, so this is our chance to show them what they're up against," Ms. Berry explained, only making them more uneasy.

"So we're screwed," Roderick said hopelessly. The twins, ever ones for optimism, were even feeling a little dejected.

"C'mon guys! Let's get started!" Ms. Berry said, trying to sound positive and optimistic as she passed out the Bruno Mars sheet music they'd be performing at Invitationals. The New Directions got up hesitantly, sighing, and got to work.

When glee club was over, the twins and Jane started walking to the student parking lot. Jane was going home with Mason and Madison for their Tuesday night hangout or whatever. They walked to the McCarthy car in silence.

Jane finally spoke up, "Do you guys really think we have a shot at this thing?"

Mason looked back at her, seeing how nervous she was, "Sure! If we try hard enough." He was forcing a smile, trying to sound optimistic. Jane and Madison were not buying it.

Jane looked at him disbelievingly, "I don't know anything about Vocal Adreneline, but I know the Warblers. I used to want to be one of them remember? They're legendary. I just don't know if the four of us have what it takes to beat them." Mason remembered when he first saw her singing in the auditorium when she was practicing for her audition to be a Warbler. He knew she was still pretty bitter about them not letting her in just because she was a girl.

"Jane, C'mon. You know we'll get there! Those boys in blazers can't be that good if they were stupid enough to reject you!" Madison said, putting her arm around her shoulder. Jane smiled. Madison was her best friend and she always knew what to say when Jane was feeling down. Mason was great too and he was one of her best friends, but sometimes she needed a fellow woman to lean on.

"Yeah! Now let's go drown our sorrows with popcorn and Disney!" Mason exclaimed, wrapping his arm around Jane's other shoulder so she was completely surrounded by the optimism of the McCarthys.

Jane smiled, "Alright, but don't forget we have to study too! I need to ace that Chem test tomorrow and I know you need more help with Econ than you want to admit!" Mason rolled his eyes jokingly.

"Fine. I was honestly hoping you had forgotten about the studying part. Let's go." Mason sighed dramatically as the girls teased him. He hated when they ganged up on him like that. Oh well, he knew he was lucky to have two incredible ladies like them in his life so he wasn't complaining.

 **Thanks for reading! Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! I've been updating a ton lately. Here's Chapter 8! I'm not going in depth with the study hangout thing at McCathy's house in this chapter. Just imagine the three of them all hanging out and laughing with each other. Nothing is going on between Jane and Mason yet they're just best friends right now. But have no fear! They'll get there. Enjoy!**

The next day, after school, Invitationals officially begun. Principal Sylvester got up to announce the first performance, Vocal Adrenaline.

"Please direct your blank stares to the curtain behind me. Soon it will open and there will be blood sport. Happy hunger games! May the odds be ever in your favor," Principal Sylvester said menacingly, only making the New Directions more nervous as they waited. The curtain opened, revealing a full show choir team standing threateningly in formation. It was very intimidating. Mason looked over at Jane and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. They both needed comfort right now. They started dancing in perfect unison. The New Directions' mouths dropped open as they performed Rock Lobster perfectly (A very difficult song to perform). As they finished, everyone clapped weakly looking around. Everyone, even the Warblers looked terrified as they jumped right into their next song. As their performance of Devo's 'Whip It' started, complete with aerialists, Jane put her head in her hand hopelessly. Her other hand was clutching tightly onto Mason's as if it were a lifeline. He was just as discouraged watching Vocal Adrenaline dominate the stage. _How could we possibly beat that?_

By the time they finished their performance, the New Directions were sitting in a shocked silence. Jane looked back at Ms. Berry, looking for comfort, but she was glaring angrily at the Vocal Adrenaline coach. Jane knew that he used to be the director of the New Directions and that Ms. Berry must have felt a little betrayed when he left for the enemy team. _He must've had a good reason,_ Jane thought. When Vocal Adrenaline left the stage, Principal Sylvester took their place.

"Vocal Adrenaline everybody. Absolutely breathtaking, huh?" Principal Sylvester seemed to be gloating for them. Jane sighed heavily. "I am here to inform all three teams that I, Sue Sylvester, will be judging this year's McKinley High show choir invitational."

"What? That's crazy!" Mr. Shue stood up and interrupted. They clearly had history.

"I run this school now. My school, my rules," Principal Sylvester was clearly not backing down on this. All of the show choir coaches looked very distressed. Jane had heard that Sue Sylvester had been the nemesis of the glee club since day 1, but she had hoped it wasn't true. "Speaking of rules, I would like to outline the rules for this year's invitational," Sue continued.

"Wait, Sue, you can't change the rules after one team has already performed," Mr. Shue interrupted again. He clearly had no problem standing up to her. Jane admired his bravery even though he was the enemy coach.

But that didn't stop Sue, "Sure I can! Rule number 1: this year's theme is Old School. Rule number 2: there are no more rules. The Dalton Academy Warblers will perform tomorrow and the New Directions will perform the following day." Principal Sylvester outlined the rules conclusively. Everyone looked around at each other incredulously.

"Wait this is a three day event?" one of the Warblers asked, bewildered. Jane rolled her eyes a little. It was a completely fair question but she was still a little bitter about the Warblers voting against her. She knew this guy in particular was very opposed to her joining the Warblers. Mason noticed her slight annoyance and squeezed her hand lightly.

"Where will we sleep?" Another Warbler asked in a concerned, high pitched voice.

"Well I imagine you two will sleep inside one another." Sue Sylvester said matter of factly, leaving them completely flustered and stuttering embarrassingly. Now Jane felt a little bad for them. She knew how harsh Sue could be.

"I have chosen to extend the invitational in an effort to give the New Directions enough time to come up with the requisite 12 members. Which is the only show choir rule anyone remembers, and yet, ever year is surprised by," Sue explained. The New Directions' jaws dropped. _Twelve members?_ How were they supposed to get 8 more members by Friday? Kurt and Rachel rolled their eyes.

"This is insane! We should all boycot," Kurt yelled out to the other two show choir teams.

"Oh no no no, Porcelain. This is happening. Each team will perform at this invitational. Even if one show choir's co-director is kidnapped and held against his will, causing him to miss the performance," Sue said threateningly, walking off stage. Kurt looked genuinely concerned. He knew how far Sue could go. The show choirs were all dismissed for the day and the New Directions walked out, definitely a little discouraged. Mason still hadn't let go of Jane's hand and she didn't want him to. This did not go unnoticed by Madison.

"So. What're we going to do?" Roderick asked unenthusiastically.

"What can we really do? We can't get 8 new members with this short notice," Jane said honestly. She was right. They just couldn't win this one. The twins looked at each other, nodding.

"C'mon guys! Don't give up! Let's all go get pizza and eat away our problems. I think Ms. Berry and Mr. Hummel are on this 12 members problem. So we just need to relax and be ready for whatever tomorrow!" Madison said brightly. Her smile looked a little forced and everyone could see she was just as terrified as them, but her endless optimism cheered them up a little. The four glee club members met up at the McCarthy's house half an hour later with pizza and all kinds of junk food. Jane thought she must be spending more time at the twins' house than her own by now. Overall their night of fun before the storm really did everyone some good. They all really needed to take their minds off of their problems and what better way to do so than spending the night with your best friends?

 **Sorry for the weird ending. I'm leaving the beach tomorrow and I might have time to write in the car or something but I don't know so hopefully I'll see you guys soon! Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in while. My mom and I have been on the road for hours visiting colleges and we just got home last night. Thanks Gemstoneopal for reviewing again! I will try to incorporate more Roderick in the future, probably starting in chapter 10. Here's the next chapter!**

The next day, none of the New Directions could focus in class. They were restless all day waiting to see the Warbler's performance. They still didn't have much of a plan for Invitationals and they still only had 4 members. To say they were stressed out was an understatement. As the show choirs began filing in to the theater at the end of the day, Jane saw Rachel talking to Sam with a very worried expression. She was clearly freaking out about something, Jane thought, if we're feeling this stressed about our performance tomorrow, she must be feeling it double. Everyone took their seats and Principal Sylvester took the stage.

"Oh my goodness! I have just been informed by the head Warbler, whose name is Tristan or Crispen or something else annoyingly fake, that their coach is currently missing! Which, of course, is a shock to all of us! Blaine, our hopes and prayers are with you. But the show must go on," Sue announced. _Wait, Blaine and kurt were missing? Sue must hve done something to them!_ Rachel thought suspiciously, glancing over at Sam. He seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Ladies and Lady-Boys, I give you the Dalton Academy Warblers!" Sue introduced. This time it was Jane who grabbed Mason's hand. She was trying to let go of her bitterness, but being rejected from a club because of your gender is not something you forget. Mason looked over at her and squeezed her hand smiling. He was a very comforting presence even though he was terrified. Jane's stomach dropped as the Warblers came on stage and began their performance. They started singing 'My Sharona' complete with backflips and everything. Mason sighed and gripped onto Jane's hand tightly as he saw the Warblers singing and dancing perfectly in sync. Madison was curled up in her seat with her head on Mason's shoulder. It almost looked like a defensive position. Roderick was gripping the arms of his chair until his knuckles were white. The New Directions were staring at the stage with mixed expressions of horror and awe. Jane was glaring at the stage with a slightly irritated expression. Not only did they reject her from the Warblers, they also came into their school and made the New Directions look bad in front of all the show choirs. As they finished their numbers, Jane looked back at Ms. Berry hoping to find comfort and optimism, but instead she was met with a look of desperation. The New Directions began walking out of the auditorium and towards the choir room to come up with a plan for their performance the next day.

"Hey!" a male voice called out to them. Jane stopped and turned to see the head Warbler walking towards them. The other 3 glee kids turned around too and stood by Jane.

"Jane, right?" he asked. Jane nodded slowly, wanting nothing more than to turn and walk away. She didn't want to face the guy who had the final decision to reject her, but Mason squeezed her hand to let her know he and the others were there for her. Jane straightened her back and faced him.

"Hey, I'm Skylar, the head warbler. I just wanted to say on behalf of all of the Warblers that we're sorry for turning you away. I for one really enjoyed your audition performance. You're a fantastic performer, the Warblers were just having a hard time going against tradition," He started explaining. Jane tried not to scoff at his words and bit back a sassy retort. She took a deep breath.

"It's fine. I've found where I belong. Even though I don't understand your sexist reasoning, I respect it. And I know now that if I had joined the Warblers I never would have had a shot at the spotlight and I would've always felt like an outsider. Here, I'm surrounded by my best friends who will support me through anything. Frankly, I'm glad I'm not a Warbler," Jane said confidently, turning on her heels and walking away, leaving Skylar in the dust. Roderick and the twins followed her lead and turned their backs on him, smiling smugly. As they walked away, Roderick couldn't help but Hi-five Jane. She smiled broadly, feeling like she was on top of the world. Mason was in awe of how strong and confident she could be. He knew she was brave, but now he had a whole new level of respect for her. He loved how happy and carefree she looked as she stalked away from Skylar. As the New Directions walked into the choir room, still smiling, they saw a familiar head cheerleader.

"I thought you said you'd never join the glee club again," Madison said surprised.

"Well someone has to stop you from marrying your brother," Kitty retorted sassily. The twins' smirks disappeared and they stopped in their tracks at Kitty's words. It wasn't the first time they'd been teased, and they knew it wouldn't be the last, but it still stung a little. Jane walked between them, looking a little uncomfortable for them. They took their seats as Ms. Berry walked in.

"Oh, uh, Rachel, there's a policeman in your office," Roderick said. Rachel walked quickly into her office, looking a little preoccupied.

"What's that all about?" Madison asked. Everyone just shrugged and went on with their lives. Kitty got up and immediately started bossing everyone around and passing out sheet music. Everyone looked at the music confused as Rachel walked out of her office.

"Uh, Why don't we just do what we rehearsed?" Roderick asked what everyone was thinking.

"The Bruno Mars setlist was too predictable. These songs are more unassuming. They create an emotional resonance," Rachel explained.

"Um, no disrespect, but we don't have time for a weekly lesson. Roderick is right, maybe we should just stick to our other plan," Jane sounded stressed out as she argued with Ms. Berry's choice to change their setlist so last minute.

"Or we could shut our traps and trust our teacher. Because the last time I checked, Rachel Berry has more talent in her little finger than anyone in this stinking, rotten town," Kitty snapped back standing beside Rachel. Everyone immediately was quiet and listening attentively to what Rachel had to say.

"Look, I'm gonna be perfectly honest with you. Sue Sylvester hates me, she always has. And now she hates you guys for joining the only club in this school that she can't control," Rachel explained, walking down the row looking each student in the eye. They all were listening intently, nodding along. "But it's not about winning a competition; it's about being able to walk down the hallway and face Sue Sylvester, or any Sue Sylvester you meet for the rest of your life! And show them that we may not always win, but we're not going down without a fight. So if you guys want to quit, now is the time. You'll probably have an easier experience at this school if you do. But if you don't want to, then we'll just stay here and we'll work super hard and put our noses to the grindstone. We may even have to pull an all-nighter."

"An all-nighter! That's amazing!" Mason exclaimed smiling. The twins did a weird handshake thing that no one could follow. As they were about to get started, a football player walked in.

"Yeah and we can order pizza and rootbeer and have, like, a party!" Spencer said. Everyone just looked at him, shocked.

"I'm sorry, are you joining us?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"You wanna win, don't you?" He replied. Everyone smiled. They had just gained 2 members and finally had a solid plan for Invitationals! Everyone circled up and started discussing their performance excitedly. Rachel and Kitty exchanged a happy glance and Rachel did an inward victory dance. They were on their way to becoming a real team!

 **Thanks for reading! You guys are great. I have a ton of homework I have to go do now, but I'll try to update tomorrow.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey fam. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was super busy with homework and my job and I was sick. And my Dad rebooted my laptop the other day and it deleted ALL OF MY PROGRESS ON THIS CHAPTER. I literally had written almost the whole chapter and it was one of my longest chapters, but I didn't save it and the WHOLE thing got deleted. Sorry, rant over. But then I was really discouraged and I didn't feel like rewriting the whole thing so I'm sorry. This will now be the third time I've rewritten this chapter. From now on I'm gonna save this like 10 times. Anyway, Gemstoneopal- I know you said I don't have to thank you for your reviews but one last time won't hurt. Your reviews are always so helpful, especially this one because I wasn't planning on writing about their little lock-in/rehearsal thing, but then you requested it and I thought it would be fun to give it a shot. Without reviews I don't know what my readers want, so thank you for your input. Here's chapter 10: enjoy! It's extra long cause I don't know when I'll post again. But don't worry, it won't be longer than a week!**

When Spencer officially joined the glee club, he was immediately swarmed with the rest of the New Directions.

"Ok, so you're a football player, so you have strong arms, which means you can lift thing or people or whatever!" Madison blurted out quickly. Spencer could barely understand what she was saying. He was a little taken aback by their enthusiasm, but he was really glad that Coach Evans made him join. Everyone started calling their parents to let them know why they wouldn't be home that night. Mason and Madison didn't for obvious reasons; they never had to ask permission to do anything, so they didn't know what it was like. But they were both surprised that everyone's parents were totally cool with their kids sleeping at school so spontaneously. It was about 9:30 and they had to be in class the next morning by 8:30, so they had about 11 hours to get ready for Invitationals. They followed Rachel to the auditorium to get started, cheering. They started with 'It must Have Been Love', which they decided Kitty and Spencer would sing. They practiced until about 11, then decided it was time to take a pizza break. The pizza guy looked kinda confused about why he was delivering 4 large pizzas to a high school at nearly midnight, but they tipped really well so he let it go.

Rachel watched in awe as Mason, Roderick, and Spencer ate their 5th piece. Kitty nearly matched them with 4 pieces. As Mason reached for his 6th, Madison slapped his hand away, scolding him for eating so much when Cheerio season was starting. He pouted adorably, but obeyed his sister. Madison had only eaten 2 and Jane was on her 3rd. When they were done eating and relaxing a little, Rachel stood up and addressed her students.

"Ok, guys, this was super fun and I feel like we've all really gotten to know each other! But I think we should practice until 1 and then we can watch a movie or something!"

"I'll get the coffee," Kitty said as everyone stood up, rubbing their eyes. They started rehearsing 'Father Figure' and choreographing. Roderick sang the song perfectly and they all decided they were ready. Roderick was really excited cause this would be his first time singing in front of an audience that wasn't just his friends, but he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Vocal Adrenaline and the Warblers were legendary, how could they top that? After several cups of coffee and an hour of rehearsal, Rachel decided they had earned a break. Maybe this all-nighter thing wasn't such a good idea? The kids looked really worn out. She wished Kurt was there, she was still really worried about him.

"Alright guys, let's take a break. You're doing great!" Rachel said chirpily. Everyone sighed with relief and sat in the audience of the auditorium.

"Ok, let's start a movie," Kitty suggested, "It's a nice, relaxed activity that doesn't require effort, and anyone who wants to can fall asleep." The New Directions nodded in agreement. The 3 Cheerios seemed to be the only ones who still had some energy left.

"Great idea! I'll go see what we have in the choir room," Rachel said. She returned a few minutes later with a DVD case.

"So, the only thing I could find is Grease!" Rachel exclaimed. There was a mixture of groans and excited cheers. Kitty remembered all the drama of the musical with her old friends. She was such a bitch back then. But she also remembered how she turned around with everyone before it was too late, Kitty had no regrets. She was feeling a little nostalgic, why not watch grease?

"And if you don't wanna sleep, you could act it out and sing along on the stage!" Rachel squealed. Mason and Madison fist-bumped and nodded. How were they so awake? Rachel put the movie in and projected it on a jumbo screen behind the stage. Jane and Roderick could hardly keep their eyes open through the opening scenes of the movie. As the first notes of 'Summer Lovin' started, Mason and Madison jumped on stage and started singing and Kitty joined in as Rizzo. Everyone else laughed hysterically as they acted it out just like the movie. Jane thought it was hilarious that Mason loved this movie so much and knew all the words to all the songs; he was such a dork sometimes. But that's one of the things she loved about the twins, they didn't care what anyone thought.

Kitty got up and sang 'Sandra D' and Madison and Jane backed her up. Kitty was perfect for the part of Rizzo. Everyone had long forgotten how tired they were. The New Directions watched the movie happily, eating popcorn and joking around. They were very surprised when Jane got up and started singing 'Hopelessly Devoted to You' without any shame. _How does she know all the words to this?_ Jane sang the whole song perfectly, looking confident and in her element. As she finished, everyone clapped slowly and started cheering. She looked startled, as if she forgot she wasn't alone. She blushed and got off the stage, taking her seat next to Mason. He looked at her and gave her a high- five.

"You killed that song," He complimented. She blushed and muttered a quick 'thanks', looking down at her hands in her lap. They watched the movie like nothing happened. When Greased lightening started playing, Mason and Spencer ran up the stairs to the stage. Jane looked over at Roderick, wondering why he hadn't joined in, but he was passed out in his chair. Jane nudged Madison and pointed silently. Madison got out her phone and took a picture. He looked adorable when he slept. His mouth hung open just a little and he rested his hands on his stomach.

Mason and Spencer were still on stage singing and dancing along to 'Greased Lightening'. Mason was doing all kinds of cheerleading tricks and moves around the stage and Spencer just sang the Danny part. He wasn't the best dancer, but he was a pretty good Danny Zuko. After their performance, everyone settled in their chair and followed Roderick's lead. They were all knocked out, even Rachel, until the very end. The twins woke up before everyone else, right when the graduation fair in the movie was starting. Mason looked over at Jane, still sleeping peacefully. He thought she was the cutest thing ever when she was asleep and just stared at her for a few seconds. Madison noticed and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention and pointed to the stage enthusiastically right before their favorite Grease number started playing.

Jane woke up to Madison pulling her on stage when 'You're the One that I want' started playing. This time, everyone was on stage, including Roderick. The only one who didn't join in was Rachel, who seemed to be in her own world. Kitty nudged Jane toward the center of the stage as Mason started singing the opening lines. _Oh, no no no,_ Jane thought and started backing away. Kitty blocked her and gave her a look. Jane took a deep breath and faced Mason. He gave her a light-hearted smile and fell to his knees in front of her like Danny.

Madison watched from a distance as they sang the song together. T _hey had amazing musical chemistry, but that's all it was, right?_ Madison was very skeptical. Roderick saw her standing off to the side and grabbed her hand, dragging her into the fun. She laughed at his attempts to hand-jive. He loved seeing her smile and her cute bossiness as she tried to show him the _correct_ way to dance like you're from the 60s.

Rachel watched her students from the audience, smiling. She really needed to stop watching this movie; it reminded her too much of Finn. But she loved seeing the New Directions having fun and bonding. She definitely saw some blooming romances among the glee club and it made her very nostalgic. She was broken out of her trance when Kitty pulled her on stage with the rest of the kids. The New Directions and their coach sang and danced until 4 am.

"Oh my gosh guys, this was an amazing idea! This all nighter really brought us together as a team! Let's tackle our third song for Invitationals while we're all energetic and awake!" Rachel said. Mason and Madison sang 'All out of Love', sitting on stools.

"Um, Ms. Berry? Why are we just sitting on stools? Why don't we do some choreography?" Jane asked.

"At this point, we don't really have time to come up with a complex routine. It's all about the emotion you put into it, not the crazy dance moves. Trust me, we got this," Rachel said confidently. The New Directions shrugged and kept practicing. They took short and frequent breaks instead of hour long sessions, including a 30 minute nap, until about 8 am. They had run through everything over and over and felt very prepared.

The New Directions could hardly sit through their classes and were relieved when the bell rang, dismissing them from class for the day. Everyone ran to the choir room to start getting ready for their performance. Rachel had gone through the entire costume wardrobe and finally found matching outfits in everyone's size. _If only Kurt was here._ They ran through their numbers one last time and then went to the auditorium. They waited backstage for their performance to start. The New Directions were very anxious about singing in front of the best show choirs in the state and Jane thought it would be humiliating to fail in front of the Warblers. They had to show them they had a chance.

"Ok, guys! Come here for a second, we're going to do an ancient show choir tradition: the show circle!" Rachel said. The New Directions circled up, holding hands. Rachel gave a quick pep talk and led them in an 'Aaaaamazing' and they got in position to do their first song. Rachel called Kurt one last time. _Where was he?_

"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of everyone at McKinley, I sincerely apologize for the New Directions," Sue introduced. Rachel just rolled her eyes. _We'll see what she thinks after our performance._ Kitty smirked as she saw Sue singing along, nearly crying. _We've got this_. Rachel saw Mr. Shue dancing along to their performance and smiled slightly. His students looked at him with disgust and Rachel rolled her eyes angrily. _They need to appreciate him more_. As the New Directions finished, the other show choirs clapped politely, looking a little underwhelmed. They weren't exactly intimidated by the New Directions. They hardly even danced.

The New Directions didn't car what they thought. They had an amazing time preparing and performing these songs and it didn't matter to them if they won or lost. Rachel and Kurt were proud of them and they knew the glee club would come back and beat everyone someday. It was just the beginning for the new kids.

 **Sorry about the weird ending. I know there's not a lot of interesting dialogue or anything and I'm sorry, but it's late on a Sunday night and I just wanted to get this chapter out to you guys before the weekend ended and I had to go back to school and work. Hopefully see you soon! I really hope you all liked this one. This version of the chapter is super different from the one I wrote before it was all deleted, but I think it's better. The original one had them playing the game 'Mafia' that I love playing with my friends instead of watching a movie, but it was kinda boring and they hardly ad enough people to play anyway. Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! I didn't think I would have time to write another chapter tonight, but I wasn't working and I don't have a ton of homework! This chapter and the next one are probably going to be pretty short filler chapters. The new kids don't have a very big part in 'What the World Needs Now', but once we're past that, it's gonna be one thing after another until I have to start coming up with my own plot lines :). Thanks to Nightingale63 for your 8 reviews. They were very sweet. Enjoy chapter 11!**

"In third place, and just not doing a very good job at all, ladies and gentlemen, from Dalton Academy: The Warblers," Sue announced to everyone's surprise. Jane saw one of the Warbler boys crying. Everyone else was just as surprised as they were.

"And in second place, the runner up, and winner of this bedazzled bowling pin I found in the dumpster: from Carmel High, Vocal Adrenaline," Sue handed the head singer the bowling pin without even looking at him, dropping it like it was something extremely disgusting. _It probably was_. Jane saw the female lead from Vocal Adrenaline give them a dirty look, they clearly felt cheated. But the New Directions didn't care. They had actually won something! Everyone's mouths hung open in surprise as Sue announced their victory.

"And finally, first place for this year's Invitational, I don't know how they did it because they were sitting on stools singing in unison, Ladies and gentlemen, from McKinley High: The New Directions," Sue announced. She looked a little annoyed as she held back their trophy from Kitty, but she just grabbed it right from Sue's grasp, still smiling widely. The New Directions cheered, jumping up and down. They couldn't believe they had beat the best show choirs in the region! Everyone was jumping around hugging each other and the other show choirs just watched bitterly. _Sue is too biased toward her own school._ The New Directions ran off stage victoriously to the choir room, still laughing.

"Wow, guys! As your coaches, Kurt and I could not be more proud of you! The all-nighter last night was so worth it!" Rachel squealed.

"This is kind of garbage, it's not even a real trophy," Spencer commented negatively. He was right, who knows where Sue got it?

"It's a start. From small things, big things one day will come," Rachel said optimistically. Even if this wasn't a real competition, they had bonded as a team through it and she was very proud of their hard work.

"Hold up, Rachel, I got this," Kitty interrupted, "Listen up noobs, we just went up against the 2 best show choirs in the state. They were full of seniors who have been working together for years. They thought they were going to come into our house and push us around? But now they all went home feeling like their willies were 2 inches shorter. Now I expect to make fun of all of you at some point, Fat kid, gay boy, creepy incest twins, other girl," Kitty said addressing them individually. Everyone looked offended at fist but then just shrugged. They better get used to it. "But I never want to hear any of you disparaging the things that we do as a team, got it?" Everyone nodded dutifully and Rachel was glowing with pride.

"Um, can I just say something?" Roderick interjected shyly. Everyone directed their attention toward him immediately, they were a little surprised he started talking. "I just wanted to say thank you to Ms. Berry and Mr. Hummel for, you know, bringing us all together and helping us do so well up there. You are both really good teachers." Everyone nodded in agreement and directed their attention toward their teachers.

"Thank you," Rachel said humbly before launching into a personal anecdote. Mason and Madison exchanged a look.

"I heard she tends to make everything about herself," Mason whispered discreetly to his twin.

"Shhh, if you're going to say things like that to me you have to use your psychic inside voice," Madison demanded in a hushed tone. Mason just rolled his eyes and gave her a meaningful stare. "Got it." The twins directed their attention back to their teachers just in time.

"It's just the beginning guys! Alright, everyone put your hand in. We're gonna lead you through an ancient glee tradition. On three, give me an amazing," Kurt explained, putting his hand in the circle. Everyone put their hand in, smiling. "One, two, three, Aaaaaaaamazing!" The New Directions said in unison. The sense of accomplishment they were feeling was incredible. They couldn't wait to feel this happy again when they crushed Vocal Adrenaline and the Warblers in Sectionals.

Once they were dismissed from glee club, everyone started heading home for the weekend; they needed to catch up on their sleep. As they walked out of the choir room together, all six of them were immediately met with icy blast of colorful liquid. The New Directions gasped as they heard laughs and running footsteps leaving the halls. They wiped the slushie from their eyes and just gaped at the doorway the culprits had just left from. Mason immediately ran over to Jane and Madison to see if they were ok. Everyone was fine, but a little in shock. They walked together back into the choir room. When Kurt and Rachel saw them they gasped.

"Oh no, not you too!" Rachel exclaimed, distraught.

"Who was it this time?' Kurt asked annoyed.

"We didn't see them but it was probably those crooks from Vocal Adrenaline. They're all a bunch of sore losers," Spencer mumbled disgruntled. The New Directions nodded numbly. This was everyone's first time getting slushied, even Roderick and Kitty.

"Ok, girls come with me, boys you go with Kurt. We'll help you get cleaned up. There is an art to getting slushie out of your hair," Rachel said, trying to be chirpy and positive. The glee club shuffled to their respective bathrooms to get cleaned up. Rachel helped the girls get the ice shards out of their hair and gave them some tips about slushie stain removal.

"At least the didn't put something dangerous in it. That happened once believe it or not. Back when the Warblers had an evil coach, they nearly made Blaine go blind. I've faced dozens and dozens of these. You have no idea how many outfits have been ruined this way," Rachel blabbered on about her experiences while she cleaned them up. After about 45 minutes of tedious slushie-cleanup, the girls left the bathroom in their clean clothes to find the boys waiting outside the door.

"Hey, are you girls ok?" Kurt asked. "We don't have long hair so it was much easier to clean ourselves up than it must have been for you." The guys looked genuinely concerned, especially Mason.

"We're all fine! Right, girls?" Rachel said and the girls of glee club nodded enthusiastically to prove it. Jane's head was still a little numb, but she wasn't going to tell anyone that.

"You all just need to go home and rest up and we'll see you on Monday!" Kurt said waving them off. The New Directions didn't have to be told twice. They were exhausted from their all night practice and their tiring day. Normally the twins would suggest a movie night or something at their house, but no one had enough energy to do anything, not even the twins. All the glee kids went home and were in bed by 9.

 **Sorry about the weird, short chapter. I wanted them to face a slushie at least once in their glee experience. In the next chapter I think I'll actually be exploring the Burt Bacharach lesson they were going to do. I've been listening to his music and I think I can make it work. I was a little annoyed that we never got to see that. Hopefully see you soon! Hope you like the story.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello! I'm back with the next chapter. I'm going to explore the Burt Bacharach weekly lesson a little so it's not all about Rachel. I had to do a lot of research on Burt Bacharach to write this chapter. Unfortunately it was really hard to find songs for them to sing because most of them are instrumentally focused, but I finally found a few songs for everyone to sing! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It might be a while until my next post because this week is going to be crazy at school and I'm working 4 days in a row instead of 3 spread out days so that's gonna be fun. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up next weekend. I'm really excited to write about Rachel's party in 'Transitioning'. Enjoy!**

After a restful and uneventful weekend, the New Directions were ready to go on Monday. They walked in to the choir room and took their seats, waiting for Rachel and Kurt to walk in and start the lesson. Mason noticed that Jane was trying out a new hair style and he liked it. Her hair was in slightly more tamed ringlets held back by a headband, as opposed to her usual wild mane. He and Madison sat down next to her and smiled, waving energetically. She smiled back and they all turned toward the door when Rachel and Kurt walked in.

"Hello winners!" Rachel said, walking in confidently with Kurt trailing behind her. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm still basking in the glow of our first of many championship trophies!"

"Well Rachel and I want our champions to celebrate another champion!" Kurt added.

"Katniss Everdeen!" Brittany interrupted.

"Close," Rachel said as Kurt unveiled the white board. "Burt Bacharach!" She announced excitedly. Kitty whispered something to Spencer and he smirked as Rachel and Kurt launched into their explanation of the weekly lesson.

"Burt Bacharach has written 73, count 'em, seventy three, top 40 hits. He's also won 3 oscars, 2 golden globes, a boatload if grammies, and his music has been featured in everything from The Simpsons to Good Fellas," Kurt started.

"And you can't help but grin when you listen to his music. His songs are uplifting, and theatrical, and optimistic!" Rachel continued.

"We need to soak up all this uplifting energy as we get ready for Sectionals, which are 5 weeks away, but I guarantee you, Vocal Adrenaline and the Warblers are doing everything in their power to regain their former glory," Kurt added. Everyone became very focused and he continued in a corny accent, "But, fear not, because we have a secret weapon!" Everyone turned their attention to the door as the Legendary Mercedes Jones walked in.

"Is that my cue?" She asked. Everyone cheered and Artie yelled 'Diva' as she came in, handing out her new CD.

"Yes, I am here to mentor you. And yes, these might be real diamonds. And yes, my single 'Shaking my Head' is number 89 on iTunes. So, which one of you wants me to mentor you?" She said dramatically. _She really knows how to make an entrance_. The New Directions all cheered and stood up, immediately swarming Mercedes. She welcomed them with open arms, laughing, and got to work. Rachel looked a little bit jealous about being over shadowed by her slightly more successful friend, but Mercedes was there to help and there was no way Rachel was going to give that up.

"Alright, let's gets started!" Mercedes said to the beaming students.

"Miss Jones, I just have to say, I'm a huge fan! I love your music and what you did for the glee club while you were in it. And we're so lucky to have you as a mentor!" Jane exclaimed, star struck. The twins were nodding along ecstatically and Mercedes chuckled light heartedly.

"Well, thank you! That's so nice to hear! What's your name?" Mercedes inquired.

"Um, Jane. Jane Hayward." Jane stuttered.

"Well, Jane, I think we're gonna get along just fine," Mercedes said matter-of-factly. Jane was smiling so hard, Mercedes thought her face might get stuck like that. "So the lesson is Burt Bacharach, right? So tonight I want you all to go home and find one of his songs that you want to sing and bring it to me and I'll coach you all individually. Ok?" Mercedes continued. Everyone nodded enthusiastically. "For now, we'll start with some basic vocal exercises."

Everyone came back the next day with a song or two in mind, excited for their one-on-one lesson with a real star. The New Directions went to the choir room that morning to pitch their ideas to Mercedes so she could figure out a plan for how to coach them on their songs.

"Ok, who wants to start?" Mercedes asked. Everyone's hands went up immediately. "Ok, how about you? What's your name?" She asked pointing to Roderick.

"Um, Roderick. I was thinking about doing 'Tower of Strength'," Roderick said as if it were a question.

"Excellent choice, Roderick! Jane?" Mercedes directed her attention to the wild-haired girl.

"I want to do 'Don't Go Breakin' My Heart'," Jane stated confidently.

"Great! I think I'll have the other 2 ladies back you up on that one, cool?" Mercedes suggested. The girls of the glee club nodded. "How about you Kitty?" Mercedes asked.

"'Wanting Things'," Kitty said simply, shrugging. Mercedes nodded and moved on, looking at the twins.

"We want to sing 'The World is a Circle' from the 1973 classic, Lost Horizon!" Mason immediately announced, fist-bumping his sister.

"Ok, then! I don't see a problem with you two singing that one together. And you?" Mercedes asked looking over at Spencer.

Spencer looked a little taken aback that Mercedes was asking him a question. "Oh, uh, the thing is, I don't really know anything about Burt Bacharach," Spencer stuttered.

"Mmhm. Ok, well luckily I do and I think I have the perfect song for you!" Mercedes said excitedly. Spencer breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't yelling at him for not doing his homework. Not that she was the kind of person who would, but Spencer was slightly intimidated by her.

"Alright guys, now that I know what you'll all be singing, come by here whenever you have a free period or after school or whatever and I will work with you! Now get to class," Mercedes concluded. The New Directions were eating lunch together, except for Kitty and Spencer, when Mason and Roderick got a text from an unknown number.

 _'Come to the choir room after school. It's important. XO - Mercedes'_

"That's weird. Did you all get this text?" Roderick asked his friends. The girls shook their heads, but Mason nodded. They looked across the cafeteria at Spencer, who was also looking down at his phone, confused.

"I wonder what that's about," Jane said.

"And why we weren't invited," Madison added.

"It's probably for the Burt Bacharach assignment," Mason said. They just shrugged and kept eating, thinking about why the boys got the text and not the girls. The end of the day finally came and Mason, Roderick, and Spencer walked into the choir room to see that Kurt and Sam were already there.

"Sorry to break up your boy time, boys, but we have a crisis and I need to recruit you guys," Mercedes said, walking in to the choir room. They all immediately directed their attention toward her, wondering what the crisis could be. "It's Rachel. Now we all know that she needed to come back here and lick her wounds, and I think it's great that she got the glee club up and running again," Mercedes began. Kurt cleared his throat pointedly. "And you're doing a great job too, Kurt, with whatever your thesis is. But what I do know is Rachel's destiny is bigger than this place. And it's not just that she's scared to try again, it's almost like she's forgotten that," Mercedes finished.

"Yeah, but, how-" Spencer interjected.

"How are we supposed to remind her?" Roderick interrupted.

"Well we have to make her homesick," Mercedes answered.

"But, isn't she home now?" Mason asked, confused.

"We need to make her homesick for New York," Mercedes clarified. "It's where she belongs. Artie's already in and I put in a call to Blaine. Sorry if that's awkward for you, Kurt. But if you guys will follow me." Kurt looked a little startled. He hadn't seen Blain since their kiss in the fake elevator. All the boys got up and followed Mercedes to the Auditorium while she explained the plan.

"Ok, so in the spirit of this week's lesson, you boys are going to sing 'Arthur's theme' by Burt Bacharach. You'll get to wear penguin suits and everything!" Mercedes exclaimed. Mason looked super excited about this impromptu performance. He sent a quick text to Jane and his sister cause he knew they were dying to know what this secret meeting was about. "And I thought the three new boys could be featured, cause that would make Rachel very proud," Mercedes finished, gesturing to Mason, Roderick, and Spencer, who smiled and nodded excitedly.

They met up with Blaine and Artie in the auditorium and rehearsed a few times before changing into the old-timey suits. Mason had to help Roderick and Spencer with theirs. They didn't wear nice suits very often so they weren't extremely educated about how to wear one. The boys waited backstage in their places for Mercedes's cue. They heard her leading Rachel to her seat, trying to suggest gently that New York was end game for her. Blaine nodded and started playing the intro to 'Arthur's theme' and the lights came on. Mason saw Jane, Madison, and Kitty sneak into the theater and sit in the back row. Madison waved at him and he smiled as Blaine and Artie sang the opening verses.

The girls of the glee club watched proudly as Spencer, Roderick, and Mason had their solos. Jane noticed that Mason looked very good in a penguin suit and she thought she saw him wink at her. Jane blushed and Madison looked over at her questioningly. After their performance, Jane, Madison, and Kitty went backstage to meet up with the boys. They all walked to the choir room together for Mercedes's coaching and the boys were in a great mood.

The New Directions didn't leave the school until nearly 7 because they wanted to take advantage of every moment of Mercedes's mentoring. Roderick had joined in on their little Tuesday-night hang out thing and they had a blast. They watched yet another Disney movie, which everyone loved, even Roderick, and they ate popcorn and talked the night away. Everyone had been 10 times closer since the lock-in rehearsal, even with Kitty and Spencer, but the two of them weren't quite ready to admit to liking the other glee kids. They each had a little private lesson with Mercedes after school for the rest of the week until their performances after school on Friday. When Friday came, Mercedes made sure the New Directions were ready. They were going to kill this.

 **I'm sorry it's short and I ended it in a weird spot, but the next chapter will be very long cause it will contain all of their performances, including 'Alfie' with Santana. I hope this chapter wasn't too weird and it made sense, I was pretty tired when I wrote it. I'll try to get the next chapter about 'What the World Needs Now' up soon but who knows? Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey. So this is a pretty long chapter, mostly because of song lyrics. I'm sorry if you don't like reading through the lyrics and you just skip over them (I definitely did that), but recently I've started listening to the song while I'm reading about the character singing it. I highly recommend that for these particular songs because they are very unique and old-timey and it's pretty hard to imagine what it sounds like. But do what you want :). Thanks to all of my recent reviewers and followers and favoriters. Every one of you is amazing. Each one of you has made me smile! So thanks. Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it and you like the songs I picked for each character.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any Burt Bacharach songs

Friday finally came and the New Directions were getting ready for their respective performances. They would just be performing in front of their friends and teachers, but they were still a little nervous. Especially Spencer, it was really his first time performing solo, ever. But he's very good at putting on a brave face and just going out there. Jane, Madison, and Kitty were waiting for a cue to take their places on stage. They were going first and Jane was singing 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' with the other girls as back up. Mercedes was back there with everyone, reassuring them. She had really been a great teacher and they loved how she organized rehearsal so that no one had already seen any performances. Each kid's performance would be a surprise until the final performance.

As Mercedes ushered the girls onto the stage, Jane sought out Mason automatically. She wanted to see his reassuring grin and his sparkling eyes. She saw him about to walk off the stage to go watch her perform from the audience, but he looked back at her one more time. _There it is,_ Jane thought when he smiled at her just like she knew he would. She grinned back widely and she thought she saw Madison turn away, looking conflicted. Jane shrugged it off and took her place on stage as the curtains started to open. When the band started playing the opening notes, she straightened her back and started singing and dancing along with the other Cheerios.

 **(A/N: Imagine Jane singing this with occasional harmony and stuff from the other girls. Kinda like 'Rather Be')**

 _One drop of rain doesn't make the sun run away_

 _Don't go breakin' my heart_

 _One falling leaf doesn't make September in May_

 _Don't go breakin' my heart_

 _I made a mistake_

 _Now must you make a mountain out of a grain of sand?_

 _Don't throw love away because I went astray for a while_

 _Teach my heart how to smile, oh_

 _One sad goodbye doesn't mean we can't love again_

 _Don't go breakin' my heart_

 _My love will last till the sky falls down, even then_

 _You'll remain in my heart_

 _Come to my arms forever more_

 _Stay in my arms and give me your love_

 _Don't go breakin' my heart_

 _Don't go breakin' my heart_

As she finished up her performance, all her friends and mentors stood up immediately and started cheering. It was a huge boost for Jane's ego and she grinned, meeting Mason's eyes. He looked back at her with a look of pride and admiration and mouthed 'wow' and winked at her. Jane became flustered and embarrassed. Only Mason could make her feel that way, and he knew exactly how much of an effect he could have on her mood. He loved how he could make her blush just with a look. As she walked off the stage, Mason couldn't help but watch her long legs. All of this had not gone unnoticed by Madison and she rolled her eyes. Her brother definitely had a thing for Jane and it was her job to keep it in check.

"Wow! That was great you guys! Next up, we have Kitty Wilde singing 'Wanting Things'!" Mercedes announced. Kitty took her place and Jane and Madison sat down next to Mason to watch the performance.

 _Tell me how long must I keep_

 _WANTING THINGS,_

 _Needing things, when I have so much._

 _There are many men who have much less than me,_

 _Day by day they make their way._

 _And they find more in life thank I can see._

 _Tell me,_

 _When will I learn to resist_

 _WANTING THINGS,_

 _Touching things that say "do not touch."_

 _Peo-ple that I meet seem to think I am strong,_

 _They don't see inside of me._

 _So they don't know I'm weak and often wrong._

 _Tell me,_

 _Why must I keep WANTING THINGS,_

 _Needing things that just can't be mine!_

 _*(yes, WANTING THINGS,_

 _that just can't...be...mine...)_

Kitty belted out her song of choice confidently. No one could really tell if she meant the every word she sang or if she was trying to be ironic. Usually Kitty would spice up her performances with some great choreography, but this time she simply walked around the stage and sang her heart out. Jane thought Kitty might be finally opening up through song. She played it off very well, but seemed to be pouring all her emotions into it. Jane suspected that she was a little embarrassed when she finished and everyone started clapping. It was as if she had forgotten that they were there. No one wanted to push her about it so they just moved on to Spencer's performance. Kitty immediately resumed her 'I don't give a crap about anything' attitude and sat down without a word.

"Alright, let's give it up for Spencer Porter!" Mercedes announced, also deciding it was best to leave Kitty's performance alone.

 _Like a grain of sand_

 _that wants to be_

 _a rolling stone_

 _I want to be the man_

 _I'm not,_

 _and have the things_

 _I really haven't got,_

 _and that's a lot._

 _There'll be joy_

 _and there'll be laughter._

 _Something big is what I'm after now_

 _Yes, it's what I'm after now._

 _After taking, take up giving,_

 _something big is what I'm living for._

 _Yes, it's what I'm living for,_

 _living for._

 _Why do I go on_

 _And fill my life with little things_

 _when there are big things I_

 _must do,_

 _and lots of dreams_

 _that really should come true_

 _before I'm through._

 _There'll be joy,,,_

 _After taking, take up giving,..._

Mercedes was right, this was the perfect song for Spencer. He looked like he was having the time of his life walking and jumping around, singing. Everyone could see that his confidence had also gotten a major boost from this performance and he couldn't believe he was ever reluctant to join the glee club. It was one of the best decisions of his life. Throughout his performance, everyone had been clapping and laughing along with him. His enthusiasm was contagious and The New Directions and company were still smiling when he finished. He took a bow and ran off stage, high-fiving Mason on his way back to his seat.

"Thank you,, Spencer! Now we will see Roderick perform 'Tower of Strength'!" Everyone clapped and Roderick got up on stage, taking a deep breath. He had always had horrible stage fright and trying to stay in the shadows and avoid bullying did not help with that. But he looked out at his best (and only) friends and smiled. He saw Madison give him a thumbs up and it gave him the courage to finally start his performance.

 _If I were a tower of strength, I'd walk away_

 _I'd look in your eyes and here's what I'd say_

 _"I don't want you, I don't need you, I don't love you any more"_

 _And I'd walk out that door_

 _You'd be down on your knees_

 _You'd be calling to me-ee_

 _But a tower of a-strength is a-something huge gulp_

 _I'll never be_

 _If I were a tower of strength, I'd watch you cry_

 _I'd laugh at your tears and tell you goodbye_

 _"I don't want you, I don't need you, I don't love you any more"_

 _And I'd walk out that door_

 _You'd be down on your knees_

 _You'd be calling to me-ee_

 _But a tower of a-strength is a-something huge gulp_

 _I'll never be_

 _"I don't want you, I don't a-need you, I don't love you any more"_

 _And I'd walk out that door_

 _You'd be down on your knees, ahh-huh_

 _You'd be calling to me-ee-ee_

 _But a tower of a-strength is a-something huge gulp_

 _I'll never be_

Everyone cheered loudly when he hit the last note. They couldn't believe his sudden confidence and burst of energy. Everyone was thinking about how great Mercedes did at helping him come out of his shell, but really it was Madison. She was one of the first people he met who made him feel like he was a normal, likeable person. Of course Jane and Mason did too, but it was different with Madison. She's the one who really made the effort to get to know him and spend time with him. Roderick looked out at his adoring fans and smiled, he couldn't believe how far he'd come just from joining the glee club. He thought he would be bullied more than he already was, but instead, he know had great friends with somewhat influential statuses at the school who always had his back. Madison, especially, was his fierce protector. He had seen her shut down a rumor about him with a glare and a sassy retort. Roderick was so lucky to have friends like her, but he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if they were more than just friends. Roderick shook his head, dismissing the thought, _a beautiful girl like her could never be into me._

"Enough said," Mercedes said as Roderick went back to his seat in the audience, smiling. He sat down next to Madison and she offered her fist for him to bump. She had a proud, mama-bird, look on her face, uncannily similar to the one Mason had been giving Jane during her performance. Then she and Mason got up and walked up on stage.

"Now, last but certainly not least, Mason and Madison McCarthy!"

Mason and Madison took their places as the opening notes played. They started dancing around each other, playfully skipping around like little kids. They just looked like they were there to have fun. They sang and danced comically and Jane thought that this is what it must have been like to watch a jester perform in a medieval palace. Everyone laughed at their antics and was enjoying watching them goof off. But despite their carefree attitude, they were perfectly in sync with their dances and their pitch (there are some very difficult notes to hit in the song), so no one would criticize them for not working hard enough. It was really the perfect song for the twins. It was upbeat, motivational, and fun. The duo kept singing and ran off the stage and into the audience.

 _The world is a circle without a beginning,_

 _And nobody knows where it really ends._

 _Everything depends on where you_

 _Are in the circle that never begins._

 _Nobody knows where the circle ends._

 _(chorus)_

 _La la la,_

 _La la la la la la._

 _And just because you think you're small,_

 _That doesn't mean that you're small at all._

 _And just the way a tiny branch is like a tree to a twig,_

 _To someone else you are big._

The duo kept singing and ran off the stage and into the audience. They skipped around their audience a little before they started pulling people up on stage with them. Mason grabbed Jane's hand and led her in a do-si-do, still singing with his twin. Jane was laughing merrily at his shenanigans and he grinned. Her laugh was adorable and he loved making her smile. Every time she even looked at him, his heart skipped a beat. Madison and Mason returned to the stage with the rest of the glee club in tow, continuing their performance casually with all of their friends.

 _The world is a circle without a beginning,_

 _And nobody knows where it really ends._

 _Woooa!_

 _Everything depends on where you_

 _Are in the cirle that's spinning around._

 _Half of the time we are upside down._

 _(chorus)_

 _La la, etc._

 _(chorus)_

 _And just because they say you're weak,_

 _That doesn't mean you've a weak physique._

 _And even if they're partly right,_

 _At least they're partially wrong._

 _To someone else you are strong._

 _(chorus)_

 _And just because they say you're slow,_

 _That doesn't mean that you're slow, you know._

 _And even if you're never first,_

 _Compared to someone who's last,_

 _They're sure to think you are fast._

 _The world is a circle without a beginning,_

 _And nobody knows where it really ends._

 _Woooa!_

 _Everything depends on where you_

 _Are in the circle that never begins._

 _Nobody knows where the circle ends._

 _La la, etc._

 _The world is a circle that never begins._

 _Nobody knows where the circle ends._

The McCarthys belted out the last note and thunderous applause and cheers followed. The New Directions finished the week all together on stage, laughing snd smiling. Rachel, Kurt, Artie, Mercedes, Santana and Brittany all came up and joined them. Rachel was showering them with compliments as usual and Mercedes was looking very satisfied. The glee club members couldn't think of s better way to end a long week. They were officially dismissed from glee club and everyone started walking to the parking lot together. They were all still in a great mood and they wanted to keep it going, so they decided to all meet at the McCarthys' house in an hour. This time, Kitty and Spencer would actually be joining them. It was a defining moment for the glee club. They had really bonded during their lock-in rehearsal, but this assignment had made everyone open up even more to each other. They knew they would be in each other's lives forever, and, just like the old glee club, they would be just a phone call away.

 **Thanks for reading! You guys rock! I will do my best to get a chapter out there this weekend, even if it's a little short. But I don't know cause this weekend is looking a little crazy. But the next chapter, we'll be starting 'Transitioning'! I've been looking forward to writing about that episode cause I wish that they had showed more newbie performances at Rachel's party! So I'm working out some duet pairs and potential songs for them to sing, but if you have any requests, please let me know. The only people in the episode who we didn't see perform are Mason, Madison, Jane, Spencer, Kitty, and Artie. So if you have any ideas about their duets, tell me and I will seriously take it into consideration! Thanks!**


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